Sermon #63 Series: Isaiah

Title: Trust Ye In the Lord

Text: Isaiah 26:5-11

Subject: Encouragement’s To Faith

Date: Tuesday Evening - November 27, 1990

Tape #

Introduction:

All men are aware of God’s existence. I do not say that all men know God. They do not. I do not say that all men trust God. They do not. But there is something in every man and woman, by nature, that makes them aware of God’s Being, Presence and Power (Rom. 1:18-20). There is no such thing as an atheist. All who claim to be atheists are liars. And they know it. There is something residing deep within every person that makes all aware of God’s Being.

And all religious men and women have a fear of God. Though it is no more than a slavish, legal fear of bondage, it is a fear of God that restrains them from performing all the excessive works of wickedness that are stored up inside. The vast majority of the people in this world are restrained from committing horrible crimes against humanity, not by any love of righteousness, or love for others, or love of morality, but by the fear of facing God in the day of judgment. And I thank God for it. It will be a sad day for this world when men and women are no longer restrained from evil by the fear of God!

All men are aware of God’s existence. And all religious people have a fear of God. But the believer, the Christian, the child of God, is a person who trusts the living God! There is a vast difference between knowing that God is, or even fearing him, and trusting him. The believer is a person who walks with God in their world by faith, trusting him.

Illus: Enoch 365 yrs. (Gen 5:21-22).

Noah 950 yrs. (Gen. 9:29).

We do not know what trials and tribulations Enoch had to face during his 365 years on this earth. But this we know - From the day that God called him by his grace, until the day that he called him home to glory, “Enoch walked with God!” None of us can imagine the troubles, persecutions, slanderous accusations and years Noah had to endure, or what trials he had to face from the world, his own flesh, the devil and his own sons. But this we are told, astonishing as it may appear, for the better part of 950 years “Noah walked with God!’

This is the thing that separates the believer from the religionist. The believer walks with God by faith. The religionist only fears God’s wrath.

In Isaiah 26 the prophet of God gives us a song of praise, instruction and exhortation. In verse 4 we read this exhortation - “Trust ye in the Lord forever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength.” Having admonished us to trust in the LORD forever, our song gives us several encouragements to faith in verses 5-11. Tonight, I want us to look at these encouragements of faith together.

Proposition: In these seven verses we are taught that The Best Way for us to Glorify God and find Comfort for Ourselves in this World is Faith. Nothing honors God like faith in him. Nothing is more honored by God than faith in him. And nothing is so comforting to God’s people in this world as faith in him.

Divisions: This is my message to you tonight - Trust Ye In the Lord Forever.” I want to show you five reasons to trust the Lord.

1. He Will Cause Us To Triumph Over Our Enemies (vv. 5-6).

2. He Weighs The Path Of The Just (v. 7).

3. He Will Give Us The Desire Of Our Souls (v. 8).

4. He Will Save His People (v. 9).

5. Only The Wicked Refuse To Trust Him (vv. 10-11).

Note: The LORD JEHOVAH is Jesus Christ, our God and Savior. Jehovah is God who saves. He is the Rock of Ages. And in Him is everlasting strength.

· The Rock in whom we take Refuge.

· The Rock upon whom we Build.

· The Strength by whom we Live and Serve our God.

Such a God and Savior is worthy of our implicit faith and confidence. “Trust ye in the LORD forever” because…

I. HE WILL CAUSE US TO TRIUMPH OVER ALL OUR ENEMIES (vv. 5-6).

As God brought down the mighty cities of Babylon and Ninevah, so he will bring down mystical Babylon and give his church and kingdom success at last.

He will make the humble who trust in him to triumph over their proud enemies. “The LORD lifteth up the meek: he casteth the wicked down to the ground” (Ps. 147:6 - Mal. 4:3; Rom. 16:20).

· He can do it.

· He has often done it -

Illus: Pharoah - The Reformation - Revival.

· He will do it! (Rev. 18-19).

II. “Trust ye in the LORD forever” BECAUSE HE WEIGHS THE PATH OF THE JUST (v. 7).

God looks upon the way of his people in this world with care and delight.

A. The way of the just is uprightness.

The way of the just is the way God appointed for his people and it is the way of uprightness, righteousness and justice, holiness and truth.

1. The way of our salvation is uprightness (Rom. 3:24-26).

“A just God and a Savior” - (Isa. 45:20).

2. The way of the believer’s behavior is uprightness.

Note: The word “uprightness” might better be translated

“evenness,” referring to the honesty, integrity,

truthfulness and sincerity of the believer’s life.

God’s people are not dishonest, deceitful and

cunning, but simple and honest.

B. “Thou, most upright, dost weigh the path of the just.”

“Thus with the upright, God will show himself upright.” (M. Henry).

1. The Lord knows the way of the righteous (Ps. 1:6).

2. The Lord orders the way of the righteous (Ps. 37:23).

3. The Lord protects the way of the righteous (Ps. 91:11).

4. The Lord approves of the way of the righteous (Col. 1:10; Heb. 13:6; I John 3:22-23).

5. And the Lord is the end of the way of the righteous (Phil. 3:13-14).

III. “Trust ye in the LORD forever” BECAUSE HE WILL GIVE US THE DESIRE OF OUR SOUL (v. 8).

It is our highest duty, our greatest privilege and our surest comfort to wait upon the Lord, to trust him, and to keep our desires toward him in the darkest of times (Ps. 123:1-4).

A. Our great concern is for the honor of God’s name.

Whatever he does with us, whatever becomes of us, let our one concern be for him. “Father, glorify thy name.” And he will take care of that which concerns us.

“The sense of this clause is - Our affections are not alienated from thee by thy judgments, but we still continue to desire thy presence and favor, and we support and comfort ourselves with the remembrance of what thou art, and what thou hast done, and what thou hast promised to be and do for thy people” - (M. Poole).

B. Our great comfort is the remembrance of God our Savior.

In the midst of trouble, nothing is more comforting than the remembrance of Christ.

1. His Covenant Grace.

2. His Redeeming Blood.

3. His Glorious Dominion.

4. His Promised Grace.

C. Our great joy is the assurance that God will honor his name in all things (Isa. 63:11-14).

Illus: Jim Byrd’s Statement

IV. “Trust ye in the LORD forever” BECAUSE HE WILL SAVE HIS PEOPLE (v. 9).

As our concern is for the honor of God’s name, so our concern is for the salvation of God’s elect. The two are synonymous! God’s name is honored by the salvation of his elect.

A. “With my soul have I desired thee” - (Ps. 42:1-2).

B. ‘In the night” - The night of spiritual darkness and desertion while others sleep.

C. “Yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early.”

· Thy Presence.

· Thy Pardon.

· Thy Power.

D. “For when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteouness.”

Note: “The inhabitants of the world” are God’s elect

in the world, as contrasted with the wicked in

v. 10.

Note: It is God’s gracious design in all the affairs of

providence, judgments as well as mercies, to

bring his elect to life and faith in Christ. And

his design is effectual (See Ps. 107).

Note: God’s elect will learn righteousness by his

word and by his grace. They will come to

know Christ, the LORD our Righteousness!

Let us be content with whatever God does, trusting him. He is saving his people. He is making his name great and glorious.

V. “Trust ye the LORD forever” BECAUSE ONLY THE WICKED REFUSE TO TRUST HIM (vv. 10-11).

A. Though God shows them mercy, they will not learn righteousness.

B. Though they live on the land of uprightness, they will not be made just.

Note: The land of uprightness is the land where

God’s word and ordinances are set up.

C. Though the Lord is good, they “will not behold the majesty of the Lord.”

· His Glorious Sovereignty.

· His Redeeming Blood.

· His Saving Efficacy.

D. Though God’s hand is lifted up in judgment against them, they will not see.

God lifts up his hand against you, both by his word and by his providence, but you will not see it. You will not see because you choose not to see.

None are so blind as those who will not see, who shut their ears to the word of God and shut their eyes to the providence of God. They choose to ascribe the works of providence to chance, luck, fate, or some unexplainable coincidence, rather than face the fact that God is speaking.

E. But the day is coming when God will make his enemies see and acknowledge his Son, their Lord.

· “They shall see”

· “And be ashamed” } (Phil. 2:9-11)

· “The fire shall devour them.”

Application: “Trust ye in the LORD forever!”

1. He will cause you to triumph over your enemies.

2. He weighs the path of the just.

3. He will give us the desire of our souls.

4. He will save his people.

5. Only the wicked refuse to trust him.